McCovey told the San Francisco Chronicle that Bonds' case for the hall of fame is obvious, saying, “I just think it’s a sin he’s not in there. If anybody deserved to be in the Hall of Fame, it’s Barry.”

Bonds never admitted to any steroid use, but was linked to the scandal in the 2007 Mitchell Report. As far as the PED cloud hanging over Bonds, McCovey told the Chronicle that baseball players have always been looking for an advantage.

“Guys took things ever since baseball existed," said McCovey, who was inducted into the hall of fame in 1986. "It may not have been steroids, but guys took things like those greenies and stuff so they could play the next day. You’re telling me everybody is clean as a whistle? You played against guys who were doing the same thing he was doing, so what the heck?”

McCovey says that even though Morgan's recent letter didn't mention any names, “You’re naïve if you don’t think it was aimed at Barry."

Morgan, the hall of fame's vice chairman, sent a letter Nov. 21 to all Baseball Writers’ Association of America voters, saying they should reject any candidates linked to PED use.

McCovey, who knew Bonds as a child — Bonds' father, the late Bobby Bonds, was his teammate with the Giants in the late 1960s and early ’70s — said he's encouraged to hear that some voters are ignoring Morgan's plea.

“That letter Morgan wrote sure is not going to help Barry,” McCovey told the Chronicle. “But I’m glad to hear a lot of the writers say the letter is not going to influence their vote because I know a lot of it is aimed at him. I wasn’t too happy about it."

McCovey, who retired in 1980 with 521 career home runs, tied for 20th on the all-time list, says he considers Morgan one of his best friends, and has talked to him about the letter.

"I told him that won't hurt our friendship," McCovey said.

Bonds, MLB's all-time leader with 762 career home runs, is on the ballot for the sixth time this year, and support appears to be growing for his inclusion in the hall. Players need to be selected by 75 percent of voters to earn induction; Bonds was selected on 53.8 percent of the ballots last year, which was up from 34.7 percent a few years ago.